Tags: Kamakura

One of the most famous wooden buildings I visited in Kamakura is the Hatto (Dharma Hall) from Kencho-ji Temple. Belonging to the Rinzai (Zen) Buddhism sect, the hall was built in 1814 and it is the largest Buddhist wooden structure in Eastern Japan.

Kencho-ji Dharma Hall is a typical structure for Zen temples, also called Lecture Hall, being the place where public ceremonies are held. One of the characteristics of these buildings are the kato-mado bell shaped windows, an architectonic element that came from China, at the same time with Buddhism: